Engineer Chemical Industry study plan
Engineer Chemical Industry · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Chemical Process Principles and Thermodynamics
Derive and apply the first law for open systems to at least 10 steady-flow unit operations (nozzles, turbines, compressors, heat exchangers), writing energy balances from memory
Build a property-table workflow for steam and ideal-gas mixtures, and compute enthalpy/entropy changes for 8 practice states without reference notes
State and use Raoult's law, Henry's law, and modified Raoult's law with activity coefficients to predict VLE for 5 binary systems
Calculate fugacity coefficients from cubic equations of state and explain when departure functions are required
Solve 6 recycle/bypass/purge material-balance problems with degrees-of-freedom analysis documented for each
Your checkpoint
A 12-page formula-and-worked-problem summary covering material balances, first law, VLE, and EOS departure calculations, with every worked problem self-checked against a second method or limiting case
Chemical Process Principles and Thermodynamics & Reaction Engineering and Catalysis
Apply the second law and exergy analysis to compute lost work in a compressor and a distillation reboiler, then propose one design change each to reduce irreversibility
Derive rate laws from batch and CSTR concentration-time data using differential and integral methods, and discriminate between first- and second-order fits
Size isothermal CSTR and PFR volumes for single and multiple reactions, including parallel-reaction selectivity trade-offs
Compute adiabatic temperature rise and equilibrium conversion for an exothermic reversible reaction
Explain catalyst deactivation mechanisms (coking, sintering, poisoning) and select a regeneration strategy for one case
Your checkpoint
A reaction-engineering problem set of 10 solved problems (at least 3 on reactor sizing, 3 on rate-data analysis, 2 on equilibrium/adiabatic limits, 2 on catalysis/deactivation) with a one-paragraph justification of the chosen reactor configuration
Unit Operations and Separation Processes
Design a binary distillation column using McCabe-Thiele and short-cut Fenske-Underwood-Gilliland methods, and compare the two results
Size a shell-and-tube heat exchanger using LMTD and effectiveness-NTU methods, and identify when each is preferred
Select and size a pump and control valve for a specified flow, computing NPSH available versus required
Analyze a gas absorption or stripping column using Kremser equations and explain the effect of solvent rate on stage count
Evaluate a drying or evaporation duty and state the dominant heat-transfer resistance
Your checkpoint
A complete separation-and-unit-operations design package for one distillation column plus one heat exchanger, including equipment sketches, duty calculations, and a sensitivity note on reflux ratio versus stage count
Process Design, Simulation and Optimization & Process Control and Instrumentation
Construct a steady-state flowsheet model of a reactor-separator-recycle loop and converge it, documenting tear streams and convergence criteria
Run a sensitivity study on two key operating variables and identify the operating window that maximizes yield or minimizes energy
Formulate an optimization problem (objective, decision variables, constraints) for a heat-exchanger network pinch analysis or a reactor temperature profile
Tune a PID controller for a first-order-plus-dead-time process using Ziegler-Nichols and IMC rules, and compare the responses
Select instrumentation for temperature, pressure, flow, and level, specifying range, accuracy, and fail-safe action
Your checkpoint
A simulation case study report (8-10 pages) with a converged flowsheet, sensitivity plots, one optimization result, and a control-loop description including loop diagrams and tuning parameters
Plant Safety, Risk Management and HSE & Materials, Corrosion and Mechanical Integrity
Perform a HAZOP-style deviation analysis on a reactor feed system, generating guide-word deviations, causes, consequences, and safeguards
Construct a fault tree and estimate top-event frequency for one credible loss-of-containment scenario
Determine relief device sizing inputs for a runaway reaction or blocked outlet case, and state the governing scenario
Classify a corrosive service and select a material of construction, justifying the choice against pitting, stress-corrosion cracking, and erosion-corrosion
Outline an inspection and mechanical-integrity program (risk-based inspection intervals, thickness monitoring, fitness-for-service assessment)
Your checkpoint
A process-safety and integrity dossier for one unit: HAZOP worksheet, fault tree with quantified top event, relief sizing basis, and a material-selection and inspection-plan justification
Plant Safety, Risk Management and HSE & Environmental Protection and Sustainability
Build a risk matrix and apply ALARP/risk-reduction principles to rank five identified hazards and justify the ranking
Design a consequence-modeling exercise (toxic release or vapor cloud dispersion) and interpret the results against exposure limits
Select emission-control equipment for a VOC-laden vent stream and estimate removal efficiency and operating cost
Calculate a carbon footprint and water balance for a process, and propose two circularity or energy-efficiency measures
Map applicable environmental permit obligations (air, water, waste) to the unit's emission points
Your checkpoint
An HSE and environmental compliance summary (6-8 pages) combining the risk ranking, one consequence-modeling result, an emission-control selection with cost estimate, and a permit-obligation matrix
Economics, Project Management and Engineering Ethics & Professional Practice and Regulatory Compliance
Estimate capital cost using factored and capacity-exponent methods, and compute NPV, IRR, and payback for a debottleneck project
Build a project schedule with critical path and identify the top three schedule risks
Apply the engineering code of ethics to three realistic dilemmas (conflict of interest, public safety disclosure, data integrity) and document the reasoning
Trace the regulatory pathway for a new chemical plant (permitting, PSM applicability, Seveso-type thresholds, REACH/chemical registration)
Prepare a management-of-change procedure outline for a plant modification
Your checkpoint
A project business case (5-7 pages) with cost estimate, cash-flow analysis, schedule with critical path, and a written ethics and regulatory compliance section
Chemical Process Principles and Thermodynamics & Unit Operations and Separation Processes & Plant Safety, Risk Management and HSE
Re-solve 20 mixed-domain problems under timed conditions, targeting at least 75% accuracy
Review every incorrect timed problem and write a corrected solution with the underlying principle stated
Re-derive the 15 most-used formulas from memory and verify against the week 1 summary
Consolidate weak areas into a prioritized one-page review sheet
Complete a full mock exam section and analyze error patterns by domain
Your checkpoint
A timed mock-exam score report with per-domain accuracy, a prioritized one-page formula and weak-area review sheet, and a written remediation plan for any domain below 70%
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70% on a self-made 15-question quiz covering domains 1 and 2, and confirm the week 1 summary is complete and usable without notes
Week 4: Produce a converged flowsheet model and a tuned control loop with documented tuning parameters; explain the recycle convergence strategy to a colleague or in writing
Week 6: Complete the HAZOP worksheet and fault tree with quantified top event, and demonstrate that risk ranking and emission-control selection are internally consistent with the permit matrix
Week 8: Achieve at least 75% on the timed mock exam with no domain below 70%, and have a written remediation plan for any remaining weak area